


I Want To Believe

by casey_delaney



Category: The X-Files, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-02-29 02:05:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18768967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casey_delaney/pseuds/casey_delaney
Summary: As punishment for his last assignment that went wrong, Special Agent Bakugou Katsuki has been assigned to watch over and disprove the work of Midoriya Izuku, the agent in charge of the FBI's most ridiculed department, the X-Files. However, the cases are nothing to joke about, filled with fatalities, abductions and strange goings-on. Can Bakugou really disprove the things he's seeing? And will his refusal to believe get in the way of the blooming relationship with his strange co-worker?





	1. The X-Files

The office was bland with very few furnishings. There was a walnut desk in the centre of the room, the Assistant Director on one side, Special Agent Bakugou Katsuki on the other. It wasn’t very often agents were called to see one of the FBI’s A.Ds. This was clear by the slightly perplexed look on the agent’s face.  
“Do you know why you’re here Agent?”  
Katsuki shook his politely.  
“Very well, allow me to explain, A.D. Aizawa began, “have you heard of the x-files, or more specifically the department head Special Agent Midoriya Izuku?”  
After pondering for a moment, Katsuki spoke.  
“Are you talking about Spooky?”. The assistant director nodded why a wry smile.  
Bakugou continued, “the x-files are unexplained cases, many of which allegedly contain ‘evidence’ of extraterrestrial life or the paranormal.”  
Aizawa’s smile was gone and was replaced by a look of disappointment, although not directed at the agent opposite him. He opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again.  
“I…” he stammered. He tried again, succeeding this time.  
“I am assigning you to the x-files to gather information that can disprove agent Midoriya’s work, so we have real evidence to shut down his department which has been hemorrhaging FBI money ever since opened 3 years ago.”  
Katsuki slammed his fist onto the desk and glared at the director, his face distorted with outrage and fury.  
“What did I do to deserve this shit!?” he growled.  
A.D. Aizawa looked unimpressed at this display.  
“A number of things, but the first one that comes to mind is shooting your partner twice on the last case you were on. You’re lucky to be in the FBI at all.”  
Bakugou’s face fell. He still felt ashamed over his actions in the last case. Special Agent Kirishima hadn’t deserved the way he’d been treated, and Katsuki would do anything to make up for it. He sighed.  
“So this is my punishment? Ruining another agent’s career?”  
“That’s one way of looking at it, but it may help to think of it as a way of redeeming yourself. If you fail, I’ll no choice but to dismiss you from the Bureau.” With that, Katsuki rose from his chair without saying a word and left the office, slamming the door behind for good measure.

The elevator ride to the basement was tedious, with seemingly the whole Bureau trying to leave the building from every floor at once. Katsuki was already pissed at being assigned to babysit ‘Spooky’ Midoriya and the x-files. He still felt this was too harsh a punishment for him. Finally, the lift emptied out at the ground floor, and started its descent into Bakugou’s destiny.  
“Basement,” the elevator said cheerily. The doors slid open and Katsuki stepped out. The lights were dim in the short corridor that faced him. There were two doors, one labelled ‘stairs’, the other ‘Midoriya Izuku’. He sighed softly as if he was accepting his fate, and knocked gently on the door three times. There was no response. He knocked again, a little harder this time. Still no response. Katsuki looked down the corridor to see the elevator doors open. A short figure exitted, carrying a large pile of files. His freckled face was peering around the edge of the files so that he could see where he was going, although is messy green hair kept covering his eyes and freckled face. Katsuki approached and lifted a stack of files off the top of the pile, revealing the red face of Midoriya Izuku.  
“Thank you” he chirped, using the same artificial tone as the elevator. The only thing faker was the smile he’d forced himself to wear. This caught Katsuki off guard.  
“Oh, uh, you’re welcome,” he managed, “where do you want them?”  
Izuku nodded towards the office door. “My desk please”. His voice was quiet and polite this time around.  
For a brief (and incredibly awkward) moment, both men caught each other’s eye and inadvertently stared, although for different reasons. Katsuki was trying to work out if he knew the man stood in front of him. Izuku was staring because the man in front of him had beautiful red eyes. They both quickly realised that the other was gazing at them, and with a small awkward cough, Bakugou quickly turned away and entered the office.

The office was small and dingy, the main source of light was a small bulb hanging from the ceiling. There were no windows save for a skylight above the far wall. A poster adorned the wall. It had a UFO and the words ‘I want to believe’ on it. A desk was placed in the far corner, in front of the poster. It was cluttered and had the name tag ‘Midoriya Izuku’ on it.  
“Just there thanks” came the voice from behind Katsuki. He laid the files in a small gap on the desk and looked around the office. The walls were lined with filing cabinets. Each one was labelled with a date or two. Katsuki opened the middle drawer of 1966 and produced a brown file with an ‘x’ stamped on it in red ink. Inside were some blurry photos of a black figure with red eyes. The case name was just one word, ‘mothman’. Katsuki chuckled quietly at this.  
“Something funny?”. The annoyed voice made Katsuki jump. He put the file back and turned to see Izuku glaring at him, trying hard to look annoyed but failing. Katsuki extended his hand and introduced himself.  
“Special Agent Bakugou Katsuki. I'm your new partner. I look forward to working wi-”  
“You mean spying on me,” Katsuki froze, he wasn't expecting any resistance, “there's no point bullshitting me.” Izuku let out a tired sigh.  
‘Fuck’ was the first word Katsuki thought of, but kept it to himself. He tried again.  
“No sir, I do look forward to working with you, I've heard lots about you. I assure you I'm not here to spy on you”. He started to trail off upon seeing Izuku’s bemused smile. He spoke, and Katsuki gritted his teeth in anticipation.  
“This is your punishment, isn't it. For what happened with your partner on the last case you worked”. Katsuki tried to stay calm, he wouldn't let this jerk get to him. In an attempt to change the subject, he asked when he would be starting.  
“There's no time like the present,” came the reply. This was it, his fate was in the green haired jerk’s hands now.

The light went out, and a project got turned on, humming quietly. The image was being shown on a bare bit of wall above some filing cabinets. The body in the image was something unlike anything Katsuki had seen before. One the body was charred, naked, blackened and indistinguishable on the right side, while the left side was perfectly preserved, the clothes intact. However the skin was a pale blue and was blistering slightly. “What the heck…” Katsuki muttered. He was visibly horrified, and had gone a little pale. “How did this happen?  
He'd only been working with the infamous Midoriya Izuku for half an hour and already he could see the challenges ahead.  
“The victim hasn't been identified yet, and had no personal possessions on them. No prints have been lifted, and police don't know what to make of it. I was contacted directly by a local detective by the name of Izumi King.” Izuku was sat staring at the image, then suddenly he was on his feet closely examining the left wrist. He pointed at a dark strip of skin around the wrist. Katsuki got closer, and had an idea. “Is there any evidence that they were restrained?”. His partner shook his head. “Then maybe they had a bracelet or a watch while they were somehow burned and frozen…” He tailed off before he could finish. In reality, he had no idea what to make of it. He finally asked a question he'd been dreading. “What do you think happened?”.   
Izuku let out a long sigh, before a look of realisation crossed his face.   
“Maybe they weren't restrained. This may be hard for you to follow, but I think our killer may have the ability to control their exterior body temperature to such a degree that they can physically burn or freeze things. I've read about people who could control when they allegedly spontaneously combusted. Except this person can also control the cold too.”  
Bakugou’s head was in his hands. He looked up, and sighed.   
“Say that did happen,” he managed, “then our killer would have serious burns too, but from the report I read, no one fits that description in the local area.”  
Midoriya smiled gently, then stood up, grabbing his coat that he'd strewn across his desk and headed for the door.   
“You coming?” he asked. “First day and you've got an x-file to solve. Lucky thing” he teased. Katsuki rose slowly and groaned.   
He really didn't deserve this.


	2. Warm Reception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The agents arrive at the scene of the crime to find a second victim in the same condition as the first. Will they be able to catch the killer before they strike again, and is something more going on than meets the eye?

The plane journey had been awkward. For the two hours they'd be in flight, the only conversation between the agents was when Katsuki mentioned that Izuku’s tie wasn't straight. The next they spoke was at the car rental office.  
“I'm driving,” Katsuki announced, much to the dismay of Izuku who reluctantly handed over the keys. Eventually they set off in a black Buick Regal, and were on their way to the scene of the murder. They were headed to a small town an hours drive from the airport. As they drove, there was tension in the air. Katsuki had enough and cleared his throat.  
“You really think I'm here to spy on you, don't you?”. He'd watched Izuku’s body language, he seemed somewhat uncomfortable. His partner nodded softly.  
“Why would they want to spy on you?”. Izuku pondered this question for a moment.  
“They think my work is a waste of time, money, and resources. They don't like that the cases I'm assigned to have no explanation that they're willing to accept. If it's not cut and dry, they don't want to know.” Katsuki frowned. It didn't seem fair. Even he'd worked cases which didn't have clear findings. The silence was deafening as he considered this. Suddenly Izuku’s phone rang, making both agents jump with surprise.  
“Midoriya,” he answered, “yeah… when?.. we'll be there in about twenty minutes...thanks.” He hung up and sighed. “There's a new victim, same injuries as the first.”  
“Fucking hell…” Katsuki said under his breath, provoking a small laugh from his partner. He gave him a stern look and asked “How do you handle all these strange cases Izuku?” He sounded genuinely curious, prompting a serious look back at him.  
“You get used to it,” he replied, “also no need to be so formal, call me Deku. All my friends do.”  
“Deku it is.” Katsuki smiled at this, but he didn't know why and didn't care enough to stop. Deku smiled too, it was the first time he'd seemed happy around his new partner.  
‘Maybe I will get used to this’ Bakugou thought, and drove on.

The scene that greeted the agents was a difficult one to digest. There was a figure under a sheet in the middle of the road. In a ring around it, the asphalt was scorched on one side while the one was damp, as if something had melted there. A large crowd had gathered around the police tape, nosy neighbours Katsuki thought. A murder in a suburban area was bad enough, but one of this ilk was unheard of, and inevitably drew in unwanted attention.  
The agents were stood next to the sheet when they were approached. A polite cough came from behind them, prompting Katsuki and Izuku to turn. The man in front of them had messy dark brown hair and tired eyes. Over one arm was a trench coat, while the other arm was extended towards them. Izuku lost interest.  
“Detective Kaibara, you must be the FBI.”  
“Special Agent Bakugou,” and returned the handshake offered to him, “and this is Special Agent Midoriya.”  
He trailed off as he realised Deku was staring into the distance. He and the detective shared a bemused glance before turning to the body at their feet. Izuku wandered off, but Katsuki had too much else to deal with to bother questioning it.  
There was buzzing coming from under the sheet, and little movements every now and then. He had to examine the body, but he really didn't want to. He knew what to expect from the previous photos, but the smell made the prospect infinitely worse. It was a mix of burnt meat and rotting barbecue. This was a surprisingly apt description as Katsuki learnt when he pulled the sheet back. 

“Oh fuck!” The words escaped Bakugou’s mouth, before he covered it with the back of his hand. He felt incredibly nauseous, although not as much as the detective who had run off to be sick in a bush.  
The corpse was covered in flies, all eating away at the feast they'd been presented with. The body had been under the sun for around half an hour, and in that time the side that had been frozen was now completely thawed. The blistering on the wrist was present, as on the last body, however instead of being blue it was grey.  
The charred side was no better. The mark on the burnt wrist was a visible dent, where it seemed a hand print had become a permanent feature. Katsuki placed his hand on the scorched skull, and attempted to turn the head towards him. Instead his hand passed through, the victim crumbling around his fingers. The brain in the remaining side became visible, and flies were already attracted to this new food source.  
“Get him out of here” he shouted at the ambulance crew present, who promptly wheeled the remains away. The detective had returned, as had Izuku. However while the detective returned looking incredibly pale, Izuku had returned with a young man in handcuffs. His hair was red and white split through the middle, and he had a red scar under his left eye. He looked terrified.  
“I've got our killer” Deku announced proudly.

“You killed them, didn't you.” Deku sounded proud of this statement. “You can burn and freeze people if you feel like it. I've seen cases like this before. Your eyes and hair both show this too, the duality of your natural skill.”  
Izuku and Katsuki were sat in an interview room. On the other side of the table was Todoroki Shoto. He had been silent the whole time with a look of fear plastered on his face. He was trembling slightly.   
Katsuki was unimpressed by these accusations. He'd been reading the file on their ‘suspect’. He was a normal 25 year old man, one who had suffered child abuse from his mother at a young age, accounting for the scar on his face. He had no previous convictions or anything to support these claims.   
“Midoriya, a word” Bakugou said sternly. He couldn't put up with this anymore. The agents left the room, and as soon as the door closed behind them, Katsuki snapped.   
“You can't make these claims, you have no evidence, you have no fucking reason to be holding him here, why is he here at all?”  
“I think he may have powers-” Izuku started confidently, however he got cut off.   
“POWERS?! You think because he dyed his hair and has a rare eye condition he can control fire and ice, he's got magic powers? Or maybe he's a Martian, or maybe you're trying to make this an x-file when it's just a case with some fucked up psycho behind it, not a damaged young man!”  
With that, he stormed off towards the exit. He couldn't believe his partner's actions or behaviour, he'd never seen anyone behave this way.  
As he left, his phone began ringing. He took a deep breath and answered.   
“Special Agent Bakugou? This is Assistant Director Yagi, are you busy?” the powerful voice boomed down the phone.   
‘All Might!’ Katsuki thought. He was one of the FBI's most respected members, famous for capturing hundreds of dangerous criminals and solving even more crimes than anyone cared to count. He was a legend.   
“Yes sir, how can I help?” he said excitedly. He didn't try to hide his happiness with this call.  
“I'm calling as I'm your new superior, I'm in charge of the x-files as you may know. How's the case going?”. Katsuki’s mood went from elated to annoyed.   
“It's going fine apart from any of Agent Midoriya’s actions up to this point.”  
All Might chuckled, “Sounds about right. Well, keep me posted” and hung up.   
Katsuki sighed deeply. He didn't want to be on this case but he had a deal with A.D. Aizawa. He just had to keep going. At that moment, the doors to the station opened behind him, and out came Todoroki Shoto. He looked at Katsuki, and hurried away. However as he reached the sidewalk, a black van pulled up in front of him. The door slid open, and a figure all in black pulled him into. Shoto yelped and shouted “HELP!”  
Katsuki drew his gun and ran towards to van. He fired 3 rounds at the passenger window, hitting another figure in the van. The driver lent over, opened the door and pushed out the lifeless body. The van then screeched away. Katsuki looked for a plate, but there wasn't one. He ran to the body on the sidewalk. The figure was still alive and groaning.   
“SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE NOW!” he yelled. The onlookers looked frightened, and a police medic appeared by the agent's side.   
“He can't die, we need him alive” Katsuki said desperately. “He's the key to solving these murders.”


	3. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bakugou and Deku explore their feelings for each other, and prepare for the coming manhunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came about because I realised I forgot to write any character background or development, but also because I wanted to further the relationship between Bakugou and Deku. It's not that relevant to the story but hey, I like it

That night at the motel, Katsuki drank. He knew he shouldn't, especially not on an assignment, but after all that had happened in the last 24 hours he needed it. Strange corpses, stranger suspects, and an easily preventable kidnapping that he could- no should have stopped. He felt useless and stupid. He downed another drink and attempt to walk 3 feet to his bed. He managed this, but missed the bed when he went to sit down and ended up on the floor anyway.  
“Ejiro..” he tried to call. He stopped, tears blurring his vision. Every case Katsuki had done before had been with Kirishima. Hell they even dated for a while. The bullet was never meant for Ejiro, and it still ruined everything between them. They hadn't spoken since. A sob that Katsuki had been suppressing escaped, followed by a hiccup. Ejiro should be here on this assignment, not Deku.  
“Deku.” The name came out as a growl. It was Deku’s fault, him and his stupid X-Files. Actually no it was Aizawa’s fault for putting him on it. Why did he have to do the elite's dirty work? He hiccuped again, and curled up on the floor. He wanted to be home in his bed, not some dingy motel in some town he'd never heard of. He fought the desire to fall asleep and lost, tears drying on his face. 

Katsuki’s door was unlocked. Izuku entered, gun drawn. He thought something may have happened, more so after seeing his partner curled up on the floor clutching where his heart would be. He dropped his gun and knelt next to Bakugou. He rolled the unconscious body onto his back, and was surprised to see no blood and any sign of a struggle. He looked around and saw the empty bottles on the desk. Deku sighed with relief, and attempted to help Katsuki onto the bed. This was surprisingly difficult as Katsuki was mostly muscle even though he looked slim, making him deceptively heavy. Eventually, Deku gave in and put the duvet from the bed over his partner.  
Katsuki looked cute, his cheeks red and face relaxed. It was the first time Deku had seen him calm. His heart sank a little as he remembered that Katsuki probably hated him. He never meant to let that suspect get kidnapped, and he probably seemed crazy to the sensible and rational mind of his partner. After all that Deku had seen, he knew he wasn't crazy, and one day Katsuki would realise that if stayed long enough.  
Katsuki groaned slightly, which was Deku’s cue to leave. He stood up and left, picking his gun up as he left. 

The following morning, Katsuki woke up with the world's worst hangover. He spent a few minutes in the bathroom throwing up, and a further few brushing his teeth to disguise the taste. There was a sharp knock at the door. Katsuki considered getting dressed, but decided against it. His tank top and boxers would have to do.  
“Morning Bakugou,” a voice came from behind the door, “There's been another murder, so get ready.”  
Katsuki opened the door to see Deku stood there. His suit was neat and smart, the jacket and trousers were black, contrasting the white shirt and surprisingly green tie. The black aviators looked awkward on Deku’s freckled face. He looked cute, especially as he was blushing. Katsuki started blushing too, realising that Deku had noticed the particularly tight boxers and the fact that Katsuki hadn't been awake for that long, resulting in morning wood that hadn't had time to go away. Katsuki quickly closed the door out of embarrassment and groaned. It was going to be a bad day.


	4. Thin Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The agents hurry to find their missing suspect before it's too late, but unwittingly put themselves at risk. Can they work out who's behind all this before their time is up?

Deku drove this time. Katsuki couldn't tell if he was hungover or still drunk, but he didn't want to risk it either way. Deku coughed to try and get Katsuki’s attention, but it didn't work.   
“They've found new evidence on the corpses, obscure tattoos, most likely a gang-”. Katsuki snored violently. Deku giggled slightly, so he was still drunk then. He elbowed his partner, and Katsuki woke with a start.   
“Mornin’ sleeping beauty,” Izuku teased, “I was saying that they think the vics were gang members”. Bakugou groaned.   
“I was hoping for a better response than that Mr ‘violent crime’,” Katsuki turned his head slowly towards Deku and glared so intensely that Izuku shivered slightly.   
“You did work violent crime, right? I read your file. You've got an impressive resúme. Top of the class at everything.”  
Another groan escaped Katsuki. He didn't want to hear his life story right now.   
“Shut up and let me sleep,” he muttered. He'd never worked with anyone who was so irritating before, and hoped to god he wouldn't have to again. 

Katsuki came around to find that the car was stopped and he was the sole occupant. He got out slowly, nursing his throbbing headache. He glanced around him. It was an old industrial site that was full of abandoned and seemingly derelict warehouses, with a mill at the very end of the complex. Deku was stood near the vast doors of one of the warehouses, and Katsuki tried to call out to him. He was interrupted by a black SUV that had appeared from behind the warehouse. Two men climbed out, both bearing submachine guns. Deku turned just too late, and was hit round the back of the head with the butt of one of the guns and fell to his knees. Katsuki drew his gun and fired a warning shot, however he instantly regretted this as a flurry of bullets was directed at him. He dropped to the ground and took cover on the driver's side of the car. He heard car doors slamming, and an engine roaring away. 

Police had arrived at the scene quickly, but found no evidence as to where Deku’s kidnappers may have gone. The SUV had been found a few miles away, suggesting that they had a getaway car ready. Katsuki was prowling around the industrial site, hunting for anything that could suggest where his partner was taken. He decided to search the nearest warehouse, although he didn't expect to find anything.   
The building was completely full of shipping containers, Katsuki thought this was odd as the nearest port was a good five hours away. The sheer size of the building made Bakugou dizzy, or maybe that was the hangover. He wasn't sure and didn't care, he just wanted to go home. As he steadied himself, he thought he heard a bang. He shook his head, it must have been activity from outside. Then he heard it again, definitely from inside the building.   
“Hello?” he called, but to no response. A few moments passed, then another bang. It sounded like it was coming from a container. Katsuki drew his gun and cautiously looked around, listening to the now rhythmic banging. Finally he arrived at the container where the banging was coming from. The doors had been padlocked shut. Inside, Katsuki could hear someone whimpering softly, followed by another bang against the door.   
“Stay back from the doors,” Katsuki shouted, then fired at the padlock. It fell to the floor with a clatter, and Bakugou swung the door open. He got his torch out and shone it to the back of the container. In a ball on the floor was Shouto. Katsuki slammed him against the back of the container.   
“Where'd they take my partner you half and half bastard?” he snarled. There was an awkward silence for a moment, then Shouto burst into tears. Katsuki stepped back from the man in front of him, a sudden feeling of guilt shot through him.   
“I-” he began, “I'm sorry…”  
The voice of the detective came from behind.   
“Is everything ok in here?”  
“Get emt here now, have them look at him and then send him to me for questioning. I'll be at the station.”  
With that, Katsuki left the container. He'd find Izuku no matter what, he just didn't know how much time he had left. 

Katsuki and Shouto sat in the interview room across the table from each other.   
“Tell me where Midoriya is.”  
Katsuki was blunt, with no hint of remorse or care in his voice.  
“I don't know,” came the reply, “but I know the guys who took him.”  
Bakugou gestured for him to carry on.   
“They're a gang, I don't know much more about them, but they use warehouses around the town and just outside it for executions. They'd get me to do it for them because it wouldn't leave any evidence.”  
Katsuki sighed deeply, and asked “why did you do it for them.”  
“They said they'd kill my family and friends if I didn't. I didn't want to help them but I had no choice. They would have killed me too.”  
Bakugou ran his fingers through his hair. As hard as it was to hear, he'd seen cases similar to this before.   
“Why did they use you?”  
Shouto hesitated. “I have… abilities. My mom used to call them my quirks. Look,” and as if by magic, and flame came from his fingertip. Katsuki sat bolt upright and gazed in amazement. He'd never seen anything like it before. He held his hand over the flame and to his surprise, it was hot.   
“How…” he started, but words failed him. He couldn't believe it. It had to be a trick. “What about the freezing, bodies were burnt and frozen simultaneously.”  
With his other hand, Todoroki reached for Katsuki’s coffee, held it for a few seconds, then handed it back. The cup was frozen solid, as was the coffee inside. Katsuki was both amazed at what he was seeing, and irritated as he'd have to get a new drink.  
“How am I gonna write this up?” he sighed.   
Shouto chuckled softly, and then stopped suddenly. “I think I know where your partner is, but we have to get there quickly.”  
“We?” Katsuki didn't like where this was going, but the look on Shouto’s face proved he was serious. “Fine, come on then.”

The Buick’s tyres screeched as Katsuki aggressively pulled up outside a self storage warehouse. He flashed his badge at the security guard and drove into the facility. Shouto climbed out first, Katsuki followed quickly behind. They sprinted across the parking lot and entered through a side door that was swinging open. At the end of the corridor in front of them, there were two men armed with the same guns as before. Katsuki clocked this too late, and they opened fire. He dropped to the floor just in time, but Shouto didn't. He let out a yell as his got struck by a flurry of bullets, and fell hard to the floor. Katsuki aimed at and shot the two assailants, landing fatal shots on both of them. He ran over to Shouto. There was a large pool of blood beneath the young man. He was already gone. Katsuki could feel himself welling up, but couldn't let himself cry yet. He still had Izuku to find.   
Finally Bakugou found more men. They were all stood next to a man dressed in a jet black suit. The man turned and smirked at Katsuki. It was a knowing smile, and one that sent a chill down Katsuki’s spine.  
“I assume the kid who you arrived with is no longer with us?” he asked. Bakugou was panting, but still managed to let out a growl of pure anger. The man gave a broader smile and said, “then I have no business here anymore. Goodbye, Special Agent Bakugou.”  
With that the man left by the door next to him. He said something inaudibly, and his men followed him.   
“Wait!” Katsuki yelled, but no response. He fired at the door, but was too late. The men had gone. He didn't know what to do, or where Deku was. The second question was answered a moment later as the door to the self storage locker opened, and out came a battered Izuku. He smiled when he saw Katsuki, and then passed out. 

Izuku awoke in a hospital room. It was dark outside. He tried to sit up but a stabbing pain spread through his side. He lifted his gown up to see a number of bruises and cuts down his body and legs. He pulled his duvet over him and lay, staring at the ceiling. There was a knock at the door, and Katsuki came in bearing a gift bag and a police file.   
“I hope I'm not disturbing you,” he said softly. Izuku smiled and gestured for his partner to sit down.   
“No flowers?” he joked, provoking a gentle grin from Katsuki.   
“I got chocolates instead,” passing Deku the bag. “I was going to bring this file to you, and I don't want to bring you down. However I've written this up and I've got nothing conclusive on who kidnapped you or how Todoroki had his abilities. I've just got nothing.” He looked up expecting to see a disappointed look, but Izuku looked indifferent.   
“Ah well, at least we know what we saw. I do anyway,” he gazed at Katsuki. He looked tired and fed up. “don't get yourself too down, this is what the x-files are like all the time.”  
Katsuki let out a small laugh, “so I've heard. I don't know how you handle it.”  
Izuku thought for a moment, and then spoke sincerely and gently. “I just tell myself that I've got forbidden knowledge, and everything I write or report exposes the public to it more and more. In the end, everyone else will see it too, it's just a matter of time.” He smiled at Katsuki again, “don't blame yourself for what happened. You couldn't have stopped it, maybe you'll stop feeling so guilty some day.”  
“I want to believe that, I really do. Anyway, get some rest. We've got more work to do.”  
With that, Katsuki rose from his chair and left the room.


	5. The Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the last case, the agents receive a letter asking for help from a detective who has three seemingly unexplainable murders.

It had been a month since Katsuki's first case with Izuku, and he was finally getting used to the dark, cramped (and frankly grim) office in the basement of FBI headquarters. While Izuku had been recovering in the hospital, Katsuki had attempted to tidy up, even managing to fit a desk in the corner of the room. It was here where he was sat chewing on the end of a pen and studying a file when the door creaked open.  
"Mornin' Katsuki," came the gentle voice of Izuku, much to Bakugou's surprise.  
"Hey Deku… aren't you meant to be at home resting?" A look of concern was plastered on Katsuki's face causing Izuku to laugh a little.  
"You know how it is, no rest for the wicked and all that crap."  
"Fair enough, good to see you back on your feet," Katsuki's sincerity caught Deku a little off guard but he didn't bring it up.  
He sat at his newly clear desk and looked around.  
"Have you seen a file anywhere?" Izuku asked, prompting Katsuki to cough and sarcastically gesture around the room at the multitude of filing cabinets.  
After a little confusion, Izuku opened his desk drawer and sighed with relief. He produced a battered old file, and flicked through it. He pulled a few photos from it and spread them out on his desk.  
"Welcome to our new case" he proclaimed loudly, and threw the rest of the file at his partner across the room. Katsuki caught it and let out a disappointed sigh. There was only one word printed on the cover: MOTHMAN

"I'm not going to West Virginia to investigate something that has already been proven to be a bird."  
The distaste in Katsuki's voice sliced through the air like a knife. He didn't believe in mothman, and felt rather concerned that Izuku did.  
"C'mon, at least hear me out." The childish desperation was hard to say no to.  
"Fine. Five minutes."  
Deku's face lit up with joy, and he began enthusiastically.  
"In 1966, the town of Point Pleasant was terrorised by a man-sized moth creature with red eyes and a ten foot wingspan," Izuku passed a grainy photo of something moth shaped above some trees. Katsuki scoffed.  
"I could do a better job at faking it than this, look at it." Deku continued, unfazed by Bakugou's interruption.  
"Some people see it as a bad omen, like with the Silver Bridge collapse in '67 or the Russian apartment bombings of '99."  
"No just stop there," Katsuki's voice was firm, "believing in mythical shit is cool, all power to you. But don't you dare blame it on real life incidents, especially one's where people died. It's not funny or clever, it's just disrespectful."  
Izuku stared sheepishly at his feet. He put the file down on his desk and sat back in his chair. Katsuki could have sworn he was counting under his breath. After a moment, Katsuki tried to speak as gently as possible.  
"Look, I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm just concerned about how this will reflect on us if it goes badly."  
Deku nodded softly.  
"I assume you brought up a fifty year old case file for a reason."  
With that, Izuku reached into his desk drawer again and pulled out an envelope and passed it to Katsuki. It was addressed to the X-Files, with a return address to Point Pleasant Police Department. 

'The X-Files, 

I'm a detective with Point Pleasant PD. I felt it fitting to write to you as I don't want my colleagues to read this. 

In the last three weeks we've had as many unexplained murders, and countless animal injuries and maulings. All human victims were also mauled as well as strangled (as detailed in the enclosed coroner's report). I'd tell you about our suspects but really we don't know where to start. 

Since the bodies were found abandoned in the McClintic Wildlife Management Area, many locals and officers have started suggesting that this may be paranormal in nature. Since the X-Files is known to investigate the weirder cases, I felt it was right to contact you. Your help would be much appreciated. 

Many thanks, 

Detective Kinzoku Kusari'

"And?..."  
Katsuki was at a loss. The letter seemed more absurd than the idea of a big moth.  
"And," Izuku could barely hide his excitement, "we're gonna go help him."  
Bakugou's heart sank. He didn't mind Izuku's flights of fancy, and he didn't mind the x-files. If anything it was all quite entertaining. However, he had no inclination to go on another field trip. 

His disinterest mainly stemmed from the fact that his report on the last case landed him squarely in Aizawa's sights. The torrent of fury and bile would have been enough to make anyone cry, and Katsuki did just that when he got home that night. He knew what he saw, but he couldn't be sure anymore. This was evident in his extremely inconclusive report. He hated not knowing, and he especially hated being disciplined for not knowing. 

Izuku stared expectantly at Katsuki, he was filled with glee and had a twinkle in his eye.  
"You know what, let's do it," Katsuki said eventually, catching Izuku by surprise. Deku pulled a set of car keys from his pocket and handed them to Katsuki. He grabbed his coat and headed to the door.  
Katsuki smiled softly. He knew he was already fucked after the last case, so what harm could another do?


End file.
